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Diagnosis: Baby Fever

May 24, 2017 - Rachel Seiler

The day before my daughter’s second birthday, I cried. I cried that by the time I had made it to pick her up from her grandmothers after work, she had already fallen asleep. Fallen asleep in someone else's arms. I cried because I didn’t get to rock my little baby one last time before she turned toddler. Why did I feel this was such a big deal?! Her birthday was an emotional roller-coaster with me being the sole passenger. I can’t explain why I felt so emotionally attached to her ‘baby age’ and the thought of her being another year older brought me to tears.

After her party, I was standing in the kitchen holding back tears while looking at her precious newborn pictures when I felt a little hand on my leg. She stood there looking up at me with those big blue eyes and asked, “Mommy, you sad?” Broke my heart, I WAS sad! Sad that she’s growing up so fast! Sad that it took years to conceive her and only a few seconds in comparison for her to be all grown up. But I was also happy! Happy that she’s beautiful, healthy, loving and smart! My emotions were in turmoil. Was this baby fever or just my biological clock screaming for attention?

Here I am, a month later, with a new perspective. My little toddler is doing amazing things, BUT thankfully, she’s still in diapers (I know, I’m weird) I do believe I have a touch of baby fever, but I’ve been able to deal with it knowing I’ve still got time if we ever decide to go for number two.

I’ll share a little research I found that helped ease my mind. I’ve always heard that prime time to have kids is before you’re 35. This is true, medically speaking. Between the ages of 20 and 35 are deemed your most fertile years with the least risk of having other complications. However, it is often found that the length of time you are fertile generally coincides with your family history. If your mom and grandma didn’t hit menopause until late 40’s then you’ll likely be fertile until then too. If you aren’t sure about your family history, you can check with your doctor about getting your anti-mullerian hormone (AMH) levels checked. This is a simple blood test that can tell you roughly how much ‘time’ you have left on your biological clock. If your levels are high, you still have a high number of eggs left. If your levels are low, you’re coming to the end of your fertile window. Me, being 33, feel content knowing I still have some time to enjoy my daughter ‘growing up’ before having to seriously consider adding to our family, God willing.

I never imagined being a mom would be so amazing, and I hope that those that desire to have a child are able to fulfill those dreams. As for me, I think I’ll hold on to that crib a little while longer…just in case.